


That's Christmas To Me

by Geronimoandbemagnificent



Category: Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare
Genre: Bencutio Exchange 2k14, Benvolio does srs bsnss, CHRISTMAS CHAOS, CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!, Christmas, Fluff, Geronimo doesn't know how to tag these things, Holiday Fic Exchange, M/M, benvolio goes to uni, benvolio is an intern, fluffy fluff fluff, mercutio is an actor, teeny tiny angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-02 06:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2802533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geronimoandbemagnificent/pseuds/Geronimoandbemagnificent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Benvolio and I normally waste an entire an entire Saturday arguing what type of decorations we should put up for Christmas. Usually it switches from the tree being a more “formal-silver-bauble-white-lights-very-uppity-fancy” decor (Benvolio’s favorite) and my favorite, a more family-oriented sort of “Christmas chaos” everywhere else. </p><p>I thought I’d stave off the argument and save him the trouble of putting up the comical decorations and just decorate the tree together. </p><p>Boy, was I wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's Christmas To Me

**Mercutio’s POV**

 

I stood on the chair carefully, thumbtacking the last part of the string of icicle lights in our living room to the wall. I climbed off of the chair slowly, and plugged the lights in the socket, turning them on.   
  
"There." I said to myself, smiling as I turned to fully look at the room.   
  
"Not too shabby for a one man job, eh Mercutio?" I grinned to myself. There were blinking rainbow lights outlining the ceiling, little penguins and polar bears resting on the fake snow.  
  
There was garland wrapped over the banister, a little Christmas tree (with baubles and little lights that took wAY too long to string on) resting on the coffee table, even some little statuettes of Santa Claus and various angels and snowmen on the mantle above the fireplace. I even lit a cinnamon scented candle, just to give the room a sort of Christmas ambiance. All that was left was the tree.   
  
Benvolio and I normally waste an entire an entire Saturday arguing what type of decorations we should put up for Christmas. Usually it switches from the tree being a more “formal-silver-bauble-white-lights-very-uppity-fancy” decor (Benvolio’s favorite) and my favorite, a more family-oriented sort of “Christmas chaos” everywhere else.   
  
I thought I’d stave off the argument and save him the trouble of putting up the comical decorations and just decorate the tree together.   
  
Boy, was I wrong.

 

Now see, Benvolio is currently studying to be a lawyer for Romeo’s law firm, so he goes to school for half the day, then interns at the firm for the latter half.   
  
"Hey Mer, I’m ho—" Benvolio opened the door, and his jaw dropped. "What. The. Ever living. Hell."  
  
Uh-oh.  
  
"Do you like it?" I asked, suddenly feeling self conscious of all of the homemade decorations and joke ornaments. Benvolio walked into the living room and set his backpack and briefcase down on the chair before walking into the center of the room, the lights bathing him in rainbow color.   
  
"You-you decorated without me." He said softly, immediately becoming interested in the little gold-colored Christmas tree across the room. I rested my hand on my neck.   
  
"Not all of it, promise. I mean, you don’t normally love the whole "Christmas chaos" style that I like, so I thought that maybe we could just do what you wanted and just set up the tree how you like." I said, choosing my words carefully. Benvolio sighed, visibly deflating.   
  
"Yeah. Yeah sure. Thanks." He said softly, turning around to grab his bags and walk into their room. "I have a paper to work on, we’ll do it later."  
  
**Benvolio’s POV**  
  
I walk into my apartment and it looked like there was a Christmas tornado.   
  
He decorated without me. Mercutio really decorated without me. Was I really that unpleasant to decorate the flat with? He waited until I was gone for a whole day to set up his stuff? And of course, my thoughts were confirmed when he said that he thought it would be better if we just set up what I wanted.   
  
I walked into our room and slipped my computer out of my briefcase, swallowing back tears. I don’t even understand why I’m so upset about this, I hate those goddamned decorations. I mean, I guess because my parents never allowed informal decorations in the house because my house or Romeo’s house was always where the office parties were held, I guess it was just beaten into me that Christmas had to be a more formal occasion.   
  
But there was just something about seeing Mercutio string the lights around the room, his blond hair lighting up red, blue, green and yellow from the lights, setting out that terrible candle, dotting whimsical snowmen around the house. Seeing him in stupid reindeer antlers, grinning stupidly as he somehow managed to get trapped in tinsel. Something about it showed me that Christmas didn’t have to just be formal tinsel and yellow lights and red curtains, it could be “Merry Christmas” window clings, advent calendars, Little People Nativity sets. I guess I hadn’t realized how much I liked setting that up until it was already done for me. I also hadn’t realized how much Mercutio had changed my life from a stuffy lawyer intern to a more whimsical person in the two years we’d been living together.  
  
It wasn’t until I went to scratch my nose that I realized that I’d been crying. I wiped my eyes quickly, forcing myself to calm down.   
  
"You aren’t seven years old, Benny." I told myself, rubbing my hands through my hair, taking deep calming breaths. I turned on my computer and began to work on an outline for my paper.   
  
Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door.   
  
**Mercutio’s POV**  
  
After Benvolio walked to our bedroom, it became  _increasingly_  clear to me that I’d screwed up somehow. I sat down on the couch, taking the stuffed penguin off of the side table. I fiddled with it for a while, then I heard it.  
  
Sniffles.   
  
Shit.

I looked up and realized.

It’s the decorations.

Shit.  
  
I immediately walked into our kitchen and made one cup of hot chocolate. That was our Christmas “oh no someone’s upset” thing. I walked carefully to the door with the almost overflowing mug in my hands.

“Benny?” I asked softly, knocking on the door. I heard him sniff again, then papers shuffle and the computer close.

“Come in.” Benvolio called, already sitting up criss-crossed on the bed when I opened the door. I walked toward him and handed him the mug. His right hand rested on mine and he lingered for a moment before gripping the burning cup and taking it.

“Careful love, it’s hot.” I said softly. He nodded as he took a sip, leaving a whipped cream mustache on his lips. I giggled, sitting in front of him. I swiped the pad of my thumb across his upper lip, wiping the cream off. We sat in silence for a little while, staring at our green and blue box duvet, the wall, out the window, anywhere but at each other.

“Look, I’m sorry for setting up the decorations. I never meant to upset you at all, you just seemed to have hated it last Christmas, so I thought that it would have just made everything easier.” I said softly, resting my hand on his thigh, rubbing circles into the soft fabric of his dress pants. Benvolio sighed, resting the cup on the bedside table. 

“I know, you didn’t. I overreacted. I didn’t hate it last year. It was just all…I don’t know. New to me, I guess. I’d always had uptight and stuffy Christmases because my parents were bigwig lawyer people, so I never got to make the salt dough handprints, the popsicle “Star of David”s, the tube sock snowmen-which are still a bit odd to me-but I never hated it. I guess I got scared because I never knew that you could impact my life so much in such a short time of us living together. I loved it, I loved seeing you so happy. I truly, truly did.” Benvolio said softly, his face flushed red. I grinned, leaning over to press my lips gently against his.

“I love you. I love you so much. I should have just talked to you about this first before assuming anything.” I said.

And then, I got an idea. I grabbed Benvolio’s hand and stood.

“Come on.” I said, chuckling. Benvolio raised an eyebrow.

“Where are we going?” He asked as he followed me out of our room. We walked through our living room and to the front door. I grabbed my wallet and two jackets off the rack by the door.

“Put this on.” I said, handing him the blue winter coat. “We’re going to make our own tradition.”

You see, our little city makes a huge deal out of Christmas. One of those perks is definitely seeing the center of town decorated for the holidays. Another perk is that park is a ten minute walk from here.

We quickly walked out of our apartment complex and headed down the street.

“Where are we going?” Benvolio pried, bouncing up and down as he walked, trying to maintain what little warmth he had. I smiled, grabbing his hands and kissing them.

“You’ll see. It’ll be great.” I said. Benvolio nodded. I put my arm around his shoulder, keeping him close to me as we walked down the street.

 

***

 

“What is this place?” Benvolio asked, as he swerved between the multi-colored lit trees.

“The park, doofus. We’ve only lived here for two years.” I joked, smirking. He walked over and giggled, hitting me on the shoulder.

“I know where we are, but this is amazing! It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before! It’s beautiful!” He said, his smile reaching his ears as he spun around, trying to take the sight in, his body lit purple, pink, white and blue from the string lights coming off of the trees. 

“You like it? They do this every year, right after Thanksgiving. I used to come here with my parents on Christmas eve and we’d walk around and have dinner in one of the restaurants over… there.” I said, pointing to the lit shops at the other side of the park. Benvolio stopped spinning and tried to walk toward me, though he lost his balance and fell into me, causing me to catch him and hold him close to my chest. My heart skipped beats as I realized how beautiful my boyfriend looked in the Christmas lights and moonlight.

“You know, I believe that Benvolio Montague has just fallen for me.” I said softly, snickering. He rolled his eyes.

“Har de har har. Are you going to kiss me or not?” He asked me, giggling.

So I did.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated <33333 thank you!!
> 
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